Liz Hathway astrologer: Facebook – The Uranus in Taurus Effect

Liz Hathway astrologer: Facebook – The Uranus in Taurus Effect

It is clear that Facebook is going through a difficult period – and the central theme is clearly evident when you look at the horoscope. The major issue is that of accountability, responsibility and management of the internet colossus. It even feels at time that the company’s success could ultimately lead to its downfall. Things have to change – and with Uranus poised to enter Taurus – it is pretty evident what direction these changes are likely to take. But first a look at the horoscope for Facebook (see horoscope below).

Facebook was launched on February 4th 2004, with the Sun conjunct Neptune in Aquarius, square the nodes. The idea of connectivity, sharing across the airways, ‘one world’ sings Sun/Neptune/Aquarius. The individual blending in with the mass . Zuckerberg on the idea behind FB ‘ Ten years ago, you know, I was just trying to help connect people at colleges and a few schools. That was a basic need, where I looked around at the internet and there were services for a lot of things that you wanted. You could find music; you could find news; you could find information, but you couldn’t find and connect with the people that you cared about, which as people is actually the most important thing. So that seemed like a pretty big hole that needed to get filled.”  That idea of a vast hole – a potential rich, yet shapeless void , is very Neptunian. Yet Neptune is nebulous, addictive, and hard to contain. Like moving water, it seeps.

But Facebook is in trouble. Since the election of Donald Trump, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and the role FB appears to have played in obtaining a Brexit vote in 2016, Mark Zuckerberg has been in the hot seat.  The Sun always represents the top dog in a company chart, the leader, and the inspiration, the founder of a business. Neptune is nebulous. So rather like the genie let loose from the bottle, it has become a spectre  increasingly difficult to control, to contain, or bend to the will. In recent weeks, Mark Zuckerberg has had to don a suit and answer questions before the Senate. The image of Zuckerberg, wearing the robes of convention, rings a very Saturnian bell.  On February 28th, Saturn made the first of three oppositions to Facebook’s natal Saturn in Cancer. If the Sun is the top dog, then Saturn is the back bone of a company, it’s what holds it upright, gives it dignity, standing and the promise of a long life. Saturn in water sign Cancer, is organic – and structures are likely to be loose or feeling based. Water is receptive and able to ‘feel’ the current and act on it. Yet Saturn is in detriment here – and the opposition from Saturn in Capricorn, demands accountability, clarity, solid solutions, answers. Facebook has become very powerful and Saturn, which in mundane astrology rules the legal system is compelled to act when an external body is seen to interfere with the democratic process. Liz Greene has called Saturn ’the membrane which separates the personal unconscious from the collective unconscious’ – however, with such a strong Neptune and Saturn in Cancer in the FB horoscope, Saturn in Capricorn is going to struggle. Facebook is huge, popular, addictive and no-one wants to (or has the will ? ) to shut it down – yet regulating and safeguarding data on the web – stopping Neptunian leaks, preventing interference in democratic systems …. well…. Precisely how is Saturn going to deal with that ? The online world is in many ways Saturn’s nemesis.

So enter Uranus in Taurus:

There have been faint whispers of Facebook introducing a paid service, in the form of an advert free subscription.  If there is one thing that Taurus feels totally comfortable with – its cash. Uranus is the natural ruler of the internet – and getting a tighter control on FB content will cost FB (and therefore us) money. Facebook has Mars in early Taurus – and in a company horoscope, Mars will often represent an interim manager, someone who comes into a business with a large broom and makes some pretty sweeping changes. This person’s job is often to help a company during a period of crisis/transition. Let’s face it, crisis is often a pre-cursor to transition, and Uranus is a good candidate for crisis. My guess is that the paid service, will in the course of Uranus’ move into Taurus – (remember Uranus retrogrades back into Aries from Nov. 6 2018 – March 6 2019) become a reality. However, I think the paid services Facebook will introduce, will eventually reach further than that. Hacking of Facebook accounts, particularly when they are large, is a serious issue. Julija Simas, founder of the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, which has a massive Facebook following, has recently suffered a serious hacking incident. To date, Facebook has offered little to no help in retrieving the control over this group. My guess is that large groups that are vulnerable to cyber attacks, will be given the option of a paid service – which will provide a quicker (Uranus) solution. Taurus is about stability and disruption to large groups could lead to users seeking alternatives to Facebook. It is obviously in Zuckerberg’s own best interest to work on the structure (transit Saturn in Capricorn opposite radix Saturn in Cancer) of his company at this time. You could say, heaven demands it.

The progressed Sun in the Facebook horoscope, currently stands at 29 degrees 7 Aquarius. The old idealism behind Facebook has to make way for something new, or risk dissolution and break up, as the Sun enters Pisces. Under the sway of Saturn (the last Saturn opposition to radix Saturn is on 25 November 2018) the company itself could be under attack from all sides. Governments unnerved by the power of the medium might seek to either bring Goliath down or break it up into bite size pieces, while rivals offering better security deals –  might see the opportunity to move in.  The Sun, teetering on the brink, looks increasingly vulnerable. Pisces represents the unknown territory, the vast ocean of consciousness. Whether Facebook wants to or not – the company’s challenge is to work with Saturn, quite literally, it has to firm up.